


Brave Steps

by Varewulf



Series: Bandori Superpowers AU [19]
Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/F, Fluff, Superpowers AU, Yuri, bonsai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: As life adjusts to a new normal, the girls think about what they want going forwards.





	1. Synergy

**Author's Note:**

> After a bunch of excitement in the Superpowers AU, I wanted to do something more calm and reflective again, with some cutesy slice-of-life stuff attached. I feel like these are some girls we haven't seen that much of in a while. So yeah, I just wanted to show a bit of what they're thinking in terms of recent events, and what they want to do next. Some small steps towards self-improvement.
> 
> There is something else I've been thinking about, though. How would y'all feel about getting some side stories to this series? I know doing an AU of an AU is a bit much, but I've been having some ideas that don't really fit into this series, as they're either too silly, too serious, too out of tone, or some combination of the above. But I still want to use characters I've established here, or at least a close version of them. For instance I've been thinking of something with the working title of "Roselia Rescue Rangers". I've also had a couple ideas for "Magical Girl Aya Adventures". But I don't know if either is anything people would want. Is a spin-off of a spin-off too weird?

Moca was doing one of her favourite things (that didn't involve food): Practising guitar together with Ran.

It was a nice exercise, where she didn't have to engage her brain too much, and was free to think about other things. And free to watch Ran play.

Ran always had a special expression when she played. Serious, yet passionate. As if it stirred up something in her soul. Even though Moca was the lead guitarist, she thought that Ran was the better player. Even if she wouldn't say that out loud. Moca was still proud of her own playing, but she had to admit that she was mostly doing it for the others' sake. While Ran seemed to genuinely care for the music, and the playing in and of itself. It was enough to make a girl a little jealous.

 _Ah~_. Ran had just started blazing through a complicated phrase. _So cool~_. Moca synced up, and played her own part. Her favourite part about playing, even more than watching Ran, was the way the two of them complimented and completed each other. It was a special kind of intimate feeling she didn't get from anything else. Not that she had anything against any other form of being intimate with Ran either, but there was nothing quite like it.

Though there were more things happening in her life now besides Ran, the others in Afterglow, and baked goods. Since the formation of the superpowers club, she had gotten to see, and experience a lot of new things. Rinko turning invisible. Arisa reading minds. Being lifted into the air by Misaki and Sayo. She had definitely learned the appeal of strong girls, even though those two were unnaturally strong. It was unlikely Ran could do it just as easily, as fun as that would be. And then Aya the actual magical girl. So far beyond all of them.

Meeting all of these incredible girls had given her a different perspective on things. And then there had been the... invader. Which had been terrifying by itself, but had also hit home just how limited Moca's powers were. When they had all agreed to help, she hadn't really been able to do any more than a regular person could, while everyone else had been able to leverage their power in some way. She didn't have any way to be useful in a crisis. Nothing to help her protect Ran, or anyone else, should it be needed.

She had been thinking that it might be a little different if she was able to change her clothes along with her shape. Maybe she could have made herself look like a (short) police officer to help reassure people. Alas she was restricted to the outfit she was already wearing. Hence why impersonating fellow students at school was easy. But maybe it didn't have to stay that way. It had occurred to her that she had some influence on her clothes.

While she couldn't change their look entirely, she could change colours. It was how her camouflage ability worked, after all. Which also let her change her skirt colour if she was to impersonate an older student. And she could stretch things a little. Like there was simply no way a Moca-sized bra would be able to hold a Himari-sized chest. Yet she still made it work, and her clothes reverted to normal when she did. All of her bread budget would go to buying new underwear otherwise.

It was not something she had really thought about before, she had simply done it on instinct. So maybe it was possible for her to do more. Maybe Ako had the right idea of trying to train her power to be stronger. Maybe Moca could also unlock a hidden potential.

But that was a concern for later. At the moment she had the very important task of being in Ran's company.

Ran exhaled deeply, and lowered her hand. "What?" She glanced towards Moca.

"Hm~?"

"You're staring."

"Fufu~. That's only because you look so lovely, Ra~n." Moca smiled bright.

Ran's cheeks turned a satisfying pink. "Can't you ever be serious?" she mumbled.

"Moca-chan is always deadly serious when it comes to her beloved Ra~n." Moca put her guitar down, and moved over to embrace Ran.

A moment's silence. "Moca?"

"Ran~?"

"Is something wrong?"

Moca leaned her head on Ran's shoulder. "Not especially~."

"Ah." Ran gently put her guitar aside, and nuzzled her head against Moca's. "Here." She shifted her position, and moved Moca so her head rested in her lap.

Moca looked up at her. "Ran~?"

"Let's just say I'm not doing this especially for you," Ran said as she started running her fingers through Moca's hair.

Moca's chest swelled. "Mmm~. You're so dreamy, Ra~n."

"And you're a dork, Moca." Ran's cheeks looked a little pink again.

Moca closed her eyes. "Getting a lap pillow from her cool girlfriend~. Surely Moca-chan has ascended to heaven~."

"I can stop, you know."

"No, please continue~."

"Alright, since you ask so nicely." Ran's smile was surely the loveliest thing on the planet.

"You know~, I think you'd make a good magical girl, Ra~n."

Ran blinked. "A magical girl? Where did that come from?"

"I wonder what your outfit would be like~? Would you be a classic pink~? Or perhaps you'd look like... a rock goddess~." Such wonderful possibilities. A nice red, with some black, or vice versa. Proper Ran colours, like her hair.

"Okay, you're clearly fine. Come on," Ran said, and got up, pushing poor Moca off of her lap in the process. "We have practice with the others in about an hour."

"Nooo~." Moca stretched her arm out dramatically. "Please love me some more~."

"You're hopeless." Ran brushed her hair behind her ear as she bent over, and planted a soft kiss on Moca's lips. "There." Her warm breath tickled Moca's face. "Now come." She grabbed Moca's hand, and pulled her up.

"Ehehe~, okay~."


	2. Quiet Eve

Maya was enjoying a nice evening with her girlfriend. An eve with Eve, you might say.

They were watching a period drama, which was not an unusual thing considering Eve's great love for them, but this was one Maya had picked. Sort of. It was actually courtesy of Arisa, who had looked online to find one Eve hadn't already watched. Maya hadn't actually asked, but there were two possibilities considering it was Arisa. Either she had picked it up from Maya's mind, or it came from her knowing Eve. The mind-reading stuff was still a little freaky, but it was maybe freakier how quickly she was getting used to it.

It helped that Arisa was obviously trying her best to be respectful. Maya had no idea how hard it might be to control such an ability. Everything about herself just happened automatically, after all. She just had to make sure nothing was stuck. Maybe it counted as an intrusion, but she got the impression that Arisa just wanted to be helpful. Even if her attitude could sometimes lead you to believe otherwise. So it might be better to just think of it as a perk of the club.

"Maya-san, look."

A duel was starting between two of the lead characters, and Eve sounded quite excited. She was definitely enjoying herself. Maya should make sure to thank Arisa the next time they met.

Eve knew about the club. Or she knew of its existence, to be precise. Maya had felt it was better to be open about that than trying to come up with some lie about where she went. But Eve didn't know who the other members were, and had been surprisingly understanding about it. Or perhaps not so surprising, since she had likened it to the ways and secrecy of the shinobi.

Speaking of knowing, it seemed to Maya like Pastel*Palettes was a curious case. Afterglow was simple, because everyone knew about Moca and Tsugumi. Arisa had only told Kasumi. Misaki had told Kanon. Ako and Rinko knew of each other even before the club. There seemed to be a trend of everyone telling their girlfriends, but otherwise nothing too complicated.

However for Pas*Pal it was like you needed a chart. Eve knew about Maya, but no one else. Maya and Aya had learned about each other. Hina had to know about Sayo, but might not know about anyone else. And Chisato... it was hard to say what Chisato knew. If the trend of telling girlfriends was universal, then it was possible she knew about Aya, but Maya had forgotten to ask. Regardless Chisato was Chisato, after all. You always got the sense that she knew more than you'd think. It would be so much simpler if everyone could be let in on all the secrets.

Eve shuffled a little closer, breaking Maya's train of thought. Maya glanced to the side. Eve's attention seemed to be firmly fixated on the screen, but she had undoubtedly moved closer. And Maya wasn't sure how to respond. She always worried about how much it was okay to do. Her girlfriend was really pretty. A model. It seemed almost like a dream that the two of them were dating.

When they had first met, Maya had gotten a really bad crush right away. It had been a bit of a shock, since she had never bothered with that stuff before. But she had also realised that she stood about a snowball's chance in hell with someone of that calibre. She had only been supposed to be there for a limited time anyway, so there had been no use worrying about it.

It was when she had been made a permanent member that things had gotten complicated. Maya had done her very best to ignore her feelings, and focus on what was best for the band. It had been Eve who had made the first move. Learning that she had had much the same reaction as Maya had at first felt like a joke, but Eve was always forthright and sincere. Doubting her words and intentions was a grave insult, so the two of them had started dating in secret.

But even though it had been many months, Maya still struggled with how far it was okay for her to go. What was the right thing to do in this situation? Should she take Eve's hand? Put her arm around her? Did Eve moving closer even count as making a move? If it did then she was supposed to respond, right? If only there were guides for these sorts of things. She had looked, but hadn't found anything that had proven useful. But what would Eve think if she didn't do anything?

She knew she was overthinking things, but she couldn't help it. She had always been that way. It wasn't always a bad thing, since it could help her realise things that others missed. She was the practical sort. Emotions and all that weren't really her forte. It was hard to get any research done on that subject.

Still, a decision had to be made. As nervous as she felt, she tried to seem casual as she stretched her arm, and put it around Eve. Though she was ready to pull it back at the first sign of disapproval. Another glance towards Eve showed the very opposite of a frown. She was smiling, and turned her head to meet Maya's eyes. There was a twinkle in there. Maya felt a blush coming on.

The drama was still going. The main character was holding a speech, and it didn't seem like Eve wanted to interrupt. She merely nestled even closer. It even sounded like she was humming quietly. It was like Maya could feel the vibrations from Eve's body, rather than actually hear it.

With a reaction like that, maybe she shouldn't worry so much about taking action. Then Eve kissed her on the cheek, and Maya's brain stopped working.


	3. Important Meeting

It was a big day for Rinko, and her grip on Ako's hand was firm. It was time to meet one of her favourite mangaka.

A lot had happened in Rinko's life over the past year. Probably more than had happened in her entire life put together before that point. Meeting Ako. Joining Roselia. Making a few friends from other bands. Becoming a founding member of the Superpowers Association Club. And slowly but surely she had become more open. Braver. A little bit, at least.

She had tried various things to test her own boundaries and abilities, and admittedly there hadn't been much success. But she still wanted to change. To be able to go outside without breaking down. She had made progress in that area. For instance being able to play at their concerts. Even if it felt kinda like cosplay, as if she was a different Shirokane Rinko on stage than she was off, it was still progress.

Though she was taking a big step at the moment. Possibly bigger than trying to go to a con with no costume. Maybe she wasn't ready. But...

Learning that magical girls were real had been a big thing for her. Huge. Of course superpowers were also big, but as for so many others it was magical girls that held a truly special place in her heart. Rivalled only by her love for Ako. They were real. Magic was real. Even if she would never become one, it made the whole world seem that much more special. She wanted more than ever to see more of it. Maybe it was a weird reason, but it filled her with courage.

So there she was, waiting in line at a meet-and-greet. A month ago she would have thought this day would be at least a year off. Maybe two. She had made sure to prepare better this time. She had taken her medication before going in. Ako had given her a pep talk. The two of them were staying close, and holding hands. She sort of regretted not going in cosplay, since she saw several others had shown up that way, but it was probably better to not attract the attention. There were a lot of people around, but it helped knowing that everyone's attention was focused on the author they were there to meet.

They were almost at the head of the line. Rinko had brought her favourite volume along to hopefully get it signed along with the newest one. She was really nervous about what to say. While she had tried to think of something, nothing clever had come to mind. Ako had said she would back her up, as she was also a fan. But she had to contribute something. She wanted to communicate how much this series meant to her. It was so much easier to leave comments online.

Suddenly there was no one else in front of them. It was finally their turn. Rinko swallowed nervously, and stepped forward. She hoped she wasn't squeezing Ako's hand too hard. Unfortunately she had to let go.

It helped Rinko's nerves a little that the mangaka was a woman. She didn't know if she was at the point where she could go meet a man yet. Rinko had seen pictures of her before, but seeing her in person really hit it home that she was quite pretty. In the manga itself the author had a little self-drawn avatar that appeared alongside the author's notes, and she always depicted herself as a messy little gremlin, so that was almost what Rinko had expected to see. But of course not. That would be silly.

"Hello," the woman said, and smiled at them.

"H-hello," Rinko said.

"Hi!" Ako said more confidently. "I'm Ako."

"I-I'm Rinko..." Rinko had almost forgotten to introduce herself. That wasn't a great start.

"Nice to meet you, Ako-chan, Rinko-chan."

"I'm a big fan," Rinko said quickly, then blushed. That was probably what everyone said.

"Me too!" Ako said, rescuing Rinko from further embarrassment. "I especially like how you draw the action scenes! All like, bam, wooowww!"

The author giggled a little. "Thank you, I try my best."

While Ako chatted a bit more, Rinko mustered her courage, and took out the volume she had brought from home.

"Um... I know it's not... what you're here for... but... this is my favourite... c-could you... sign it?" Rinko was worried she would get turned down, since the author was there for her newest volume, but it was likely the only chance she would ever get.

There was an immense sense of relief as the woman graciously accepted it. "Ah, the awakening. Of course, I'd be happy to."

"I admire Hinata-san... a lot..." Rinko said. "You write her... so well... I wish I could be... a strong hero... like her..."

The author handed the book back, before she started signing their new volumes. "You know, Rinko-chan. I like to believe that everyone is a hero to someone in their life. And perhaps..." She looked back and forth between Ako and Rinko a couple of times. "You are Ako-chan's, hm?" She winked at them.

"Yeah!" Ako hugged onto Rinko's arm. "Rin-rin's the best!"

Rinko blushed even harder.

"See?" The author smiled wide at them both. "So don't be so hard on yourself."

"Y-yes, thank you."

Once they were away from the worst of the crowd, Rinko checked that she had everything with her. Thankfully nothing was missing.

"How are you feeling, Rin-rin?" Ako asked.

"Tired... but... happy."

Ako hugged her. "Good."

She had done it. She had made it through waiting in line, talking to a stranger she admired, and getting away safely. The mangaka had been incredibly patient with them, and it definitely felt like it had been worth the trip. But now she felt exhausted, and like she just wanted to stay in her room for a day or two.

 _Everyone is a hero, huh?_ But when it had really come down to it, she had been useless. She had desperately wanted to go home that day, but also felt like she needed to grab everyone, and take them with her. However when the shadow-beasts had appeared, she had realised she wasn't fast enough to reach the others in time. Some hero. If Aya hadn't shown up they might all be dead.

Becoming as strong as Aya, or even Hinata, was beyond her, but maybe she could become stronger than she currently was. If anything was to happen again, she didn't want to be useless yet again. Hopefully nothing would, but if it did...

She could think more about that later. For now she needed to head home. Maybe she and Ako could work together to figure something out.


	4. Bon Silence

It was a nice, sunny day. A little chilly perhaps, but the bonsai didn't mind, so Arisa was committed to sticking it out as well. So long as she was in the sun it wasn't a problem.

There wasn't a lot to prune. She had done a thorough round the day before. It was mostly to see if she had missed anything. Plus it helped her relax, and free up her mind. And for once there was absolute silence. Her grandmother was out, and that part of the garden was far enough away from the streets around the property than no one's thoughts could reach her. None of the Popipa members were coming over that day either. It was only her, and the bonsai.

"You're such a bunch of cuties, as always~."

Bonsai were better than people in a lot of ways. They didn't think, not in a way that Arisa could read at least. And they didn't talk. Or move. Yet they had a way of communicating how they were, if you knew how to look for it.

"The sunlight feels good, doesn't it? Shame on those mean clouds for hiding it from you for nearly a week."

Thankfully they all looked happy. Well, maybe she could adjust the angle on that one a little bit, so more of its leaves would be exposed to the sun on that side.

"Oops, there's something I missed yesterday, let me just..." * _snip_ * "There, that's better, isn't it?"

They were good company. Granted, they couldn't actually like hug her or anything, but it wasn't like she needed that every day. In fact she had been fine without that stuff for a long time before Kasumi and the others came along. It was their fault she had become accustomed to physical contact, and actually missed it a little sometimes. Not to mention other things she missed about Kasumi specifically.

"Hm, your soil looks a little dry. Have you been drinking too much? Hang on, I'll top you up."

Her life had become very interesting. Which wasn't a universally good thing, but on balance it was probably more good than bad.

"It looks like the new fertiliser is agreeing with you. I'm glad."

And the club now included a magical girl. Arisa had always wanted to be a magical girl. Power. Magic. Anonymity. Well, not that Aya had been very good at hiding who she was. But anyone who wasn't her friend probably wouldn't have figured it out. Though Arisa was a little uncertain about whether she would have been able to stand up to a monster like that, even with magic. Regardless it sounded like you had to be chosen, and she had not been. What sort of requirements were those 'Guardians' looking for, anyway?

"I wonder if I could have used magic to make you cuties even better?"

Maybe this was a weird thing for someone like her to think, but it also sounded like being a magical girl was lonely. Aya was the only one, as far as she herself knew. She had told them that she knew there had been others before her, but she didn't know whether any of them were still around. Still alive. Maybe the 'Guardians' only picked one at a time. Maybe that was how she was able to be so powerful. Yet even if it had split the power in two, surely fighting with a friend by her side would have been better. Or maybe the reason was something else entirely. It was hard to judge the motivations of something that wasn't human.

"Oh no, there's a chip in your pot. How did that happen? This could develop into a crack... don't worry, I'll move you into a fresh one."

As scared as she had been, it had been a little... fulfilling to work alongside someone else to help save people. She and Tsugumi had found three people who had been hiding in harm's way, and had sent them off to safety. And everyone else had done what they could too. Even if it was Aya who had ultimately saved the day, they had all been helpful. It was hard to not feel good about that. Not that she wanted to be a hero on a regular basis. Hopefully she wouldn't be forced into that either. But there had been a crisis, and she had helped. That was worth something.

"There, that should be it for now. I'll check in with you again tonight~."

She put her tools away, and went inside to wash her hands. Getting some water for herself was probably not a bad idea either.

Setting that aside, there was something else on her mind as well. The more she talked with the others, the more Rinko's words about how she needed to be more open with those she cared about stuck to her mind. She couldn't just keep everything to herself, no matter how scared she was of the consequences. It would just be worse if she was found out accidentally. If she was the one who came forth with the information first, she would be better able to explain herself.

Part of her wanted to do this in person, since maybe it would be easier if she could read her thoughts, but she wouldn't always be able to use that as a crutch. Besides, she was used to communicating in text without being able to read the person she was talking to. Talking on the phone wasn't that different. Okay, it was different, but it was an important exercise. Probably.

She tapped the name on her contact list. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hey, Kasumi."

" _Arisa~!_ " The joy in Kasumi's voice was unmistakable. It always made Arisa feel good.

"How are you doing?"

" _Fufufu~. I just finished my homework, so I'm on top of the world!_ "

That wasn't something that warranted such immense pride, but it was a little cute. Just a little.

" _How about you?_ "

"Oh, I'm good. Just sp- tended to the bonsai." She had nearly slipped up there. Sure, Kasumi knew that she talked to the bonsai, but she still didn't like admitting it. "Say, I was wondering..."

" _Hm?_ "

She might as well just jump right in before she changed her mind. "What do you think of videogames?"


End file.
